Asymmetrical Balance
by gigglegirl88
Summary: A love story between an OCD, symmetry obsessed son of Death and an odd, sloppy ginger with a soul nobody can quite identify. Has Kidd found someone to put up with him at last?
1. Chapter 1 -- The Meeting

**( Setting: A little after Kidd, Liz, and Patty first join DWMA. This is a KiddxOC fanfic, although there may be other relationships going on the the midst of it all, too. Hopefully this turns out as epically as I planned it to! )**

* * *

Sand crunched under their feet as they limped along, the pair looking quite odd in a desert at a time like this, smack in the middle of nowhere. There was nothing for as far as the eye could see—of course, the eye couldn't see very far in a sandstorm, anyway, so it wasn't that much of a surprise. Stumbling along, mostly blind, a boy and a girl wandered, both having an awkward gait; with closer inspection one would notice the boy was barely conscious, not even mustering enough strength for his eyes to open. A little less exerted, the girl was partially dragging him along, her slight shoulders straining, muscles twitching from exhaustion.

But she would not stop. She couldn't.

Minutes passed of temporary blindness. Then, almost as soon as the storm had come, it was gone. A pair of unnaturally bright blue eyes blinked, the dull browns and reds of the desert suddenly clear to her again, and allowed a sigh of relief to escape her. Shoulders sagging, she felt the tension ease out of her body, relaxing for a brief moment. "Thank goodness..." She murmured, her vocals lilting in a singsong manner. At her voice, the boy's ebony eyes opened, deep and void of expression, before they fluttered shut again.

Now that the desert storm had ended, one could see what the dynamic duo looked like. The girl was small, only about 5'4" and on the smaller side for her teenaged years. She had a youthful look about her, along with delicate facial features that made her look almost breakable. Her blue eyes were luminous and doe-like, without doubt the most interesting part of her petite body. Vibrant red hair that would probably be to her hips when not kept out of her face had been intricately braided, falling to the center of her back, tied loosely. An ivory complexion contrasted well with all her striking characteristics, making her look more like a human being and less like a carefree goddess. She was dressed casually with a rich green tank top that flattered her ample figure and navy sweatpants, complete with a pair of white, dusty sneakers. Obviously this redhead wasn't the type of girl to care much about appearances.

However, the boy was another story. He was tall, probably just under 6", with sun-browned skin that wasn't as flawless as the woman's, but rougher and more muscled. He had deep brown eyes, so brown they appeared to be black like the night, and tawny hair that was cropped short so it wouldn't get in his eyes, though it was unruly and everywhere. The male wore a dark jacket over a plain white t-shirt along with dark pants and black boots that stopped about mid-calve. Even by looking closely at him, he was a looker, the type of guy people gravitated toward, the heart throb men and woman all around had crushes upon. Despite his handsome, chiseled features, there were no creases on his face to signify easy smiles, evidently being the more reserved type.

She glanced around with squinted eyes, trying to locate a cave or tree so they could obtain some sort of rest. There had to be _something_ out here in this forsaken desert! Suddenly she spotted something, and a sort of weary joy spread across her face, lighting it up. "Oh, look! _Look!_ Rei, open your eyes and look!" Excitedly she pointed to her left at the gates to a building that seemed to stretch for miles. How hadn't they noticed it before? Oh, right, the sandstorm. Filled with adrenaline, she helped her partner walk faster, determination rushing through her veins, imagining the people, the food, the water, the _beds_...!

It didn't take long for them to reach the doors. Breathless, she lifted a small hand and rapped smartly on the entrance. After a second of impatiently awaiting them to welcome the two in, she knocked on the door, hard. There was a creak, and the door toppled inward with a loud bang, dust puffing up into the air. Coughing and spluttering, the red haired woman waved a hand in front of her face before staring into the abandoned building. There was plant life and mold growing all around, the paint on the walls was chipped and peeling, the fountain in the center had gone dry, and there was an eerie silence about the place. Looking around quietly, the youth shivered, eyes huge for a moment. But then a stubborn expression entered those innocent features; she rearranged Rei's position, pushing him upright and shifting his arm further across her shoulders. Persistence is key, and she had more than enough willpower for the both of them. Confidently she walked straight across the building, staring right ahead, not allowing her thoughts to delve into the deep, dark secrets of this place, such as why it was abandoned. She didn't want to know. It was the absolute _only_ building in kilometers from here, and no way in hell would she turn down the help she knew Rei needed. And herself, too, for that matter. Just like Rei, she hadn't eaten anything in days, or rested herself...nothing remotely healthy whatsoever. It wasn't like she'd had a choice in the matter, either. Circumstances had deemed this 'run away' action of theirs necessary.

There was another set of doors ahead, and this time she just pushed through them without knocking. She knew this place would be vacant of life. Opening the doors, she was greeted by a cool breeze as the city that had been hidden by wall and building was now visible. It truly was a pity—the ruins of such a blatantly beautiful city, once full of color and life, now silent as the dead. Taking a shaky breath, she once again forced herself not to look around, simply walking forward. There was some shade by what might have been a restaurant nearby, and they hobbled to it, aiming for a colder area with fresh air as opposed to those stifling, stuffy houses of the ghost town. With a groan, she lowered Rei to the ground gently before sinking down after him, exhausted. Stiff and aching, she brushed a strand of rebellious hair behind an ear and away from her sweaty face. Her face was red and hot from what could only be sunburn. The thought triggered an irritated sigh. How she hated sunburn.

_Crack_. The teenager straightened up, blue oculars alert, body stiffening. Everything went still for a moment. There was a soul nearby! She could sense it, even though detecting souls wasn't really her strong point. It wasn't her job to do so, and as a result, she hadn't thought to put much effort into learning the art. But she knew enough to notice _this_ one. It was...pretty noticeable, as souls went.

For a brief second fear coursed through her; she was malnourished, parched, tired, and beaten down by days of walking and dangerous events. She just didn't have the strength to fend anything off. Defeated before the battle had even begun, she fell back, downcast. There was a moment in which she battled tears of helplessness. She conquered her fears and lifted her head, determined. This done, she pushed herself over to Rei, draping herself across the boy protectively. No matter what happened, no harm would come to him as long as she was alive. She would make sure of that!

It was in that moment that a giant dark form shot out at them from behind a pile of rubble; she hadn't realized he was so close! She raised an arm defensively to ward off an attack, ashamed by her pitiful performance. All hell came loose in that moment of defiance.

* * *

Confusion eased its way onto her face, utterly baffled by the sight before her. Maka gawked at Kidd, whom had just entered the lunchroom with his dual gun weapons, the Thompson Sisters, her jade green eyes widening at the trio. Never in all her time of knowing the young Shinigami had she ever seen such an expression on his somewhat childlike face. His golden eyes were staring at the ground, his face thoughtful and filled with wonder. She noted that one of his hands had strayed up to his head of raven black hair, save for three white stripes on his right side, running through them in an uncharacteristic way. He _never_ did that. Claimed it messed up the symmetrical balance of the hair on his left and right side or something like that.

Beside him the youngest of the sisters, Patty, giggled delightedly, two spots of red appearing on her cheeks, her blonde hair bouncing as she rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet happily. That was a common expression for Patty, however; _that_ didn't worry her. But Liz's expression did—the tall fair haired beauty was eying Kidd curiously, her mind obviously whirling with activity (judging by the stunned 'o' her mouth was making, anyhow). Maka frowned, puzzled by her friends, head tilting to the side like an attentive puppy.

They reached the table their group of friends were sitting at after what seemed like forever, taking their usual seats (naturally, Kidd had elected for them all to sit in the spot of the lunchroom long ago, one where there was an even number of windows, chairs, neighboring tables, and other symmetrical coincidences—anywhere else would have been deemed grotesque and sinful by the neat-freak) between Black Star and Soul.

A little slow to realize something was off about the three, Soul's reddish eyes flickered to Kidd, who sat beside him, a cool, easy grin spreading across his face. "Hey, Kidd." The white haired male greeted his friend, voice laid back and lazy. "What's up?"

There was a small pause; Maka and Tsubaki (the busty, dark haired female whom was already picking up on the strange atmosphere) leaned forward in unison, rapt attention clearly portrayed in their body language. Kidd glanced over at Soul, debating how to answer that. Obviously something really big had happened, or he wouldn't have hesitated to reply. Finally Kidd spoke, sounding as filled with awe as he looked. "A lot, actually. Life has been...eventful." He was halting, stalling the conversation as he picked and chose his words carefully.

The two girls exchanged startled glances. Tsubaki was first to speak, her voice frail and soft as always. "How so?" Out of the seven of them, Tsubaki was the most dependable. She was a brilliant weapon, a loyal friend, and the kindest person alive by anybody's standards. If Kidd were to confess any problems or situations to anyone, it would be Tsubaki. Although Maka had wanted to be the person to take control and ask the questions, she was now relieved Tsubaki had beaten her to it. Now Kidd might feel more inclined to reply!

Those rich orbs looked up at the tall girl, pondering how to best respond. Eventually, he spoke, staring at the table, "Father sent me on a mission yesterday. To deal with a rogue soul." They all knew what that meant—a human soul turned evil, on the brink of becoming a Kishin, or an evil demon god. It was their duty as students of DWMA to prevent this circumstance from occurring.

Black Star grinned maniacally at him. "Lord Death sent _you_ on a mission? Why not me? I am by far bigger than _you_!" The blue haired assassin jerked a thumb at himself, beaming, and the others sweat-dropped. They all knew the only thing bigger than Black Star himself was his ego. None of them commented, however, merely nodding their heads slightly in agreement to humor him or ignoring him completely, and returned their suddenly very interested gazes to Kidd.

"It was off in the middle of the desert, traveling to the nearest town. It wasn't hard to find, either—it was heading toward the old Gisharu ruins." That wasn't a common name anymore. Hundreds of years ago, Gisharu had been a town filled with artistic people, craftsmen, people with dreams. However, a curse was set upon them by a witch, and their structure fell apart. Not a soul was left to explain what had been done. The remains of the buildings had been left there as a reminder of the power of witches, and the great city; nobody had touched it since unless they were merely passing through the foreboding place. "However, _that_ wasn't the surprising part. What was more surprising was who I met there.."

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Liz asked for what seemed to be the hundredth time, arms interlocked lazily behind her head, her white cowboy hat cocked slightly so it shaded her eyes. Patty wore a similar outfit with the hat, cropped-to-the-stomach shirt, and pants, but she appeared to be enjoying herself far more than her older sister, whom was already regretting this job and most certainly _not_ looking forward to killing anyone, even if it meant a Kishin soul to be eaten.

Kidd shot Liz a look, losing patience with her. Normally he was a pretty even tempered guy, not getting annoyed easily. But this had been her thirty-seventh time saying it. Thirty-seven was an odd number. He didn't like that she'd stopped there, not at all. Pointing an accusatory finger at the weapon girl, the Shinigami barked angrily, "That's terrible! Saying such things and ending on an odd number! Dirt! Scum! One more time! _Say it one more time_."

Looking startled, Liz stuttered, "A-are we there yet?" Death the Kidd relaxed, nodding, golden eyes looking forward once more, the angry flush leaving his face and his eyebrows straightening out to a calmer position.

"And, to answer your question, we_ are_ almost there. Can't you feel that wavelength?" Patty looked curious, and Liz blinked rapidly before closing her eyes and focusing, searching for the soul. Then she smiled a little, glad that their mission was already almost over. As they grew closer to the forgotten city, Kidd frowned, hesitating for a moment. "..There's more than one soul there." He murmured, bewildered. "But why is that? Father specifically said one." The girls exchanged confused looks, and Kidd shook his head, muttering about three not being symmetrical and other rubbish. The boy got Beezlebub (his trusty motorbike) out and hopped on; Patty and Liz, taking their cue from his new found haste, transformed swiftly into their weapon forms. Catching them deftly, Kidd nodded in satisfaction and rushed off faster than he had been on foot earlier, wondering...who were the other two souls? Would they need to be killed too? Or were they victims of circumstance?

The dark monster-man jumped, mouth gaping wide, and she waited for the end, unable to believe it was going to come like _this_. Rei was going to die, and so was she. At least, in the end, she died returning the favor she owed him...to a degree. It was not a repayable debt. She would try, though.

A slim form seemed to materialize before her from a different direction, foot outstretched. It slammed into the creature with the force of a rhinoceros. With a wail of shock and pain the monster was thrust aside, skidding across the ground. Blinking in astonishment, she lowered her arm and stared at him, her braid to floating out to the side by the strength of the wind the teenaged male before her had created. He was pale with hair like the night, save for three white stripes on one side, and eyes like a dandelion; dressed in mostly black, he looked very professional, especially holding those guns in such a natural, confident manner. For a moment their eyes met, his cool and collected, hers astonished and grateful—and then he was gone, chasing the monster.

...Who was he?

"Soul Resonance!" Kidd growled, holding the two sleek, perfectly symmetrical pistols in his hands. A war cry exited his mouth, echoed by the Thompson Sisters, and he felt their souls connect like opposite magnets attracting together, his own soul swelling with power, sending a ripple of energy around a several mile radius.

Turning slightly to face the almost-Kishin man, he cocked his weapons, preparing to battle. "Your days of eating helpless human souls are over, creature. Give up now." As an afterthought, he dusted a bit of dirt off his black suit, being the type to need to be neat and tidy. Once he was satisfied, his attention flashed back to the monster, eyes calm.

Unimpressed, the man stood up, about seven feet, towering above the smaller boy. He wore all black, and the evil that was tainting his soul was already beginning to be visible on the outside, his skin and hair stained with black blotches, almost covering the entirety of him. "Who's gonna stop me? _You?_" The creature laughed, his voice rasping and hoarse from misuse. "That's funny."

_Seven words._ Kidd felt a rush of distaste for the monster as he lifted his weapons. "That was a dick move, Kishin. This battle will be your last." Then the bullets began to spray. They weren't normal bullets, either—Liz and Patty's bullets were more related to a soul wavelength, shooting it at their opponents. It was much more deadly, anyway. But the monster was fast. It dodged one after another, those long fangs peeking out from over his lips in a chilling sneer. It's feet hit the ground, running on four legs, and immediately as it would bound, leaving that location, Kidd's spray of bullets would hit right afterward, only seconds behind. Lifting a fist, the almost-Kishin drew it back. The punch hit Kidd directly in the chest, knocking him away. The bullet he'd shot was somewhat off course now, only hitting the creature in the arm; it screamed. Kidd hit the ground and tumbled away, landing on his head and shoulders in the beginning of a somersault position. Only stunned for a moment, the boy pushed off the ground with his arms, arching his back and legs so he landed upright on his feet. He was, apparently, quite the gymnast.

Lucky Kidd. He's stood up just in time to be tackled by the creature, whose skin was turning completely black. Now there was only a single white patch left, just under his eye.

With a grunt, Death the Kidd was pushed backward, feeling blow after blow rain down upon him. Desperately he shot the pistols at the monster, but his arms would be shoved so the bullets would go off course. The soul wavelength of the monster penetrated Liz weapon form, and she cried out as a gash split open over her shoulder. Blood dripped from the pistol as she gasped, fighting down the pain. "Liz!" Kidd shouted, but then he was grabbed by the collar and thrown. Again he hit the ground hard, face first this time, before tumbling head over heels. Eventually his pace decreased, sliding to a stop on his side. Sore, he pushed himself up, his movements sluggish, arms quivering. Dragging himself to his knees, he sat up, wielding the pistols with trembling hands. "S-sorry, you guys...That was too close..." His voice was low; the Sister's knew he'd be tearing himself up over this later.

_"It's fine, Kidd!"_ Patty told him, smiling, trying to cheer him up.

_"It doesn't hurt so bad. Soul will be jealous my scar is bigger than his. No worries!"_ Liz told him with a weak grin, barely able to keep her voice from cracking.

It wasn't enough. Kidd's spirits were plummeting. He looked up at the creature that had once been a human, watched the white spot turn to dark as he slowly but steadily raised his weapon partner's up to shoot. He stopped just before pulling the trigger.

_He was absolutely symmetrical now._ It was beautiful, the epitome of incredible taste and Godliness. There was no way Kidd could kill it now. It would be upon him in seconds. Two pink spots of wonder and delight appeared on his cheeks, and those golden oculars stared up at the creature as his arms dropped to his side, unable to tear his gaze away from the symmetrical monster.

_"Kidd!"_ gasped Liz, struggling to get his attention. _"Kidd, no! It will kill you! Kidd, you can't be serious, Kidd, KIDD-!"_

Crunch.

Strands of hair tickled his face, and he lifted his hands to scratch it. Very suddenly it sank in what had happened; his eyes became the size of full moons, amazed.

The girl!

There she was, crouched in front of him protectively, using her own body as a shield. Her red hair, braided, had a few chunks coming loose, springing free from captivity. _Drip, drip. Drip, drip_. Blood—that was definitely blood. Kidd's gaze dropped to her back, scanning for sign of injury, and found there was none. The blood...it wasn't hers? The human girl stood there, silent, not turning to face him. Kidd's breathing was ragged, barely daring to believe that he'd just escaped death so narrowly, and angled his head so he could peer over her shoulder. One of her arms had transferred into some sort of dark, metallic smokey colored sword, tinted with jagged green embroidery symmetrically covering it in thin, angular stripes. He gaped; she was a weapon!

Kidd noticed where the blood was coming from now. Not even a centimeter away from her was the almost-Kishin, pitch black, having run himself through with her sword simply by the speed he had been approaching Death the Kidd. Those deep eyes were wide, flashing iridescent as her soul wavelength that she'd shot into her weapon form pinged around within him. Then he coughed violently once and evaporated, nothing but his soul levitating in the air.

The battle was done. The creature had been killed, no lives had been lost, and there was a Kishin soul to eat.

Her arm transferred back into its normal form, the blood disappearing with the loss of her weapon self. She had an easy expression on her face, unmoved by the previous events, simply sitting down so her hamstrings (which were aching from her sitting in a crouch for so long without switching positions) could rest. The redhead stretched, exhaling in satisfaction.

Then those luminous blue eyes turned to look at the three whom had saved her and Rei, taking them in. Realizing that it was safe, the guy's weapons morphed back into their human selves, and she admired them. They were very pretty, both of them, and were very comfortable with their bodies. That's definitely a good thing, since most girls were not. Her eyes arched pleasantly, a soft smile blossoming across those fragile looking features. "Thank you guys for saving us. You were very brave." It was only then that she observed the injury of the taller weapon, and blinked, smile vanishing. "A-are you ok? I-I don't think we have any medical supplies left, but I'm sure that this town has _somet-_" Concern radiating off her in waves, the little ginger stood up and immediately slumped, knees buckling.

She was too weak. There was no way she would be able to do it. They'd die there, the five of them. This had to be her fault. If only she'd been faster to react, quicker to come and help. Sure, it may have taken every ounce of energy in her limbs to stand up and dart over to help just in the nick of time. But...she was certain she could have been faster, stronger! It could have happened sooner.

"I...I'm sorry..." Her voice was a mere whisper as she crumpled.

Kidd jumped into action as she crumbled to the ground again, half-standing to catch her shoulders in his hands, supporting her body with his own, before easing her back to the ground, pillowing her head on his lap. "Don't be stupid. You're in no shape to do anything. When was the last time you've eaten?" From the girl there was a silence, her eyes barely open. "Drank anything? Slept?" More silence. Behind her weakness, Kidd sensed flashes of stubbornness. Great. One of _those_ types.

Sighing, he shook his head at her. "Wonderful." He'd get nothing more out of her. There was no use interrogating the incredibly reckless red haired lady.

As if detecting his defeat in questioning her, she slowly allowed herself to sink into unconsciousness. But suddenly she realized something, making herself hang on just a moment long. Her eyes grew wide in the effort to stay awake. "W-wait!" the woman caught his attention; those exotic eyes were back on her, and she found herself speechless under that gaze. But she steeled her nerve—now wasn't the time to geek out about how weird his eyes were. "Re-" What if this guy wasn't a good guy? What if he was actually evil? She couldn't give away her name, or Rei's. So she paused, making it look like she was fighting to keep her eyes open again. "My partner. Can you...save him, please?"

Her voice was so distraught, so helpless, that even if Kidd _had_ been a bad person, he wouldn't have been able to tell her no. The boy gave one of those rare, gentle smiles. "Of course." The girl grinned. And then she left them, traces of that crooked grin still remaining on her face.

Looking over to Patty and Liz, he directed, "Liz, I want you to eat that soul. It'll make the pain more bearable. And then I want you two to get that boy she was talking about and get him to DWMA. I'll get this girl."

The blondes nodded, Patty wandering over to the brunette and lifting him up as if he weighed nothing. She skipped back over to them, watching gleefully as her older sister ate the soul and looked relieved. Patty smiled, eyes glowing, before looking at the redhead on the ground, watching Kidd's expression as she laid there, unconscious. That might seem creepy to most people, but if they'd seen Kidd's face...There was nothing creepy about it. Whoever the girl is, she'd really made him think. Liz caught Patty's gaze and the younger of the sister's put the boy down, slipping one of his arms around her shoulder. With a small smile, Liz got under the other arm, and the two girls began walking over to where they'd left Beezlebub. Once they got to the motorbike, this whole carrying two teenaged kids with them idea would be _so _much easier.

Death the Kidd picked up the girl, taken aback to find how light she was—barely over a hundred pounds, he'd guess. Carrying her bridal style, he arranged her body so her head rested comfortably against his chest, having no trouble with this added burden. He followed the girls, a little behind them, going over the past events in his mind. The wheels of his brain were turning, trying to find reasons to her words. She'd left him with more questions than she had answered them. He didn't like that at all.

A few minutes were traveled in silence, only the sound of their feet in the sand heard between the five of them. Beezlebub was in sight, and the girl's exhaled, gratified that their moments of physical activity would be done with soon. Kidd had, finally, taken his gaze off the girl and was looking ahead. Until, that is, he felt the slightest of stirrings. It could have been nothing, but he looked anyway, curious. He tilted his head down to look at the girl, seeing those bright blue hues had opened slightly, about halfway. There was a loopy smile on her face, as if she were daydreaming. Slowly she lifted a hand; she had small, childlike hands, Kidd noticed as she stretched up her arm. Then she touched his hair, the base of her palm resting gently on his forehead. A startled look crossed his face, but he didn't move, too busy wondering about what she was doing. Her fingers brushed over the side of his head with the white lines, the side that made him asymmetrical, the side that made him hate himself. For a moment he almost decided to curse himself, now that his mind was on the topic. But what happened next stopped him.

"I like," the girl began, the phrase broken by her semi-slurred words, "..your stripes." He gawked; she beamed. Then she dozed off again, not to be awoken until they arrived at DWMA. Kidd stared down at her, blushing ever so slightly, mouth hanging open. She liked...his _stripes?_ Nobody had ever said that to him before. Not even his friends; they hadn't even commented on it. Not even Liz and Patty! And he himself had never found his stripes to be anything commendable! So why did she like him?

It were these questions that caused such turmoil in his head the rest of the evening, and all through the night. They still cluttered his mind the next morning during his first classes. He hadn't been able to get these thoughts off his mind until lunch that day.

* * *

The six stared at him, even Liz and Patty whom had been present during the event. Soul was the first one to break the silence, rust colored eyes wide. "So...where is she now?" Seeing Kidd's blank look, he added, "The...mystery girl, I mean. She sounds pretty cool."

Kidd's eyes barely looked up at all to meet Soul's, still thinking really hard about all of this. "In the infirmary. I imagine Dr. Medusa is tending to her-" There was a clatter, and Kidd's eyes widened. When he looked up, there were six missing places at the table where his friends had been. He stared before jumping to his feet and racing after them, cursing. Now those two would _never_ get any of their much needed rest! They'd just get in the way, looking for the 'mystery girl', as Soul had called her.

When he reached the infirmary doors, Black Star had apparently been elected to knock on the door. He lifted his fist to do so, grinning and going on about how the biggest star should do it. Kidd sprang on him, crushing his arms to his side. Off balance, Black Star teetered away, doing everything he could to stay upright. "A-ack! Kidd! What're you /doing/? Somebody like you shouldn't jump someone as big as _me_-!"

"T-they need their rest! Be more considerate! Who knows what they've been through, and the _last_ thing they need is you interfering and getting involved with-!" The two boys scrabbled, Kidd's arms and legs tightly wound around the blue haired boy, while Black Star hopped and writhed, struggling to dislodge him.

"Excuse me?"

At the soft, dainty voice, both boys froze and looked over. The door to the medical wing had opened, and there stood a young woman in barely any clothes. Bandages were wrapped around her breasts and ribcage, doing nothing but flatter her ample figure even more, and they started again at her waist, circling her like a mummy and stopping at her skinny ankles. She was very thin, although her blue eyes gleamed in a lively way; she wasn't malnourished anymore. Long, wavy red hair fell down to her hips, containing the perfect amount of curly and straight so it was a manageable, voluptuous heap. Although untamed and unruly, she would still be described as 'pretty'.

There was a sharp intake of breath from Kidd, and suddenly they all knew—this was her! Except that her hair was down, she looked exactly as Death the Kidd has described her!

Their stares must have made her uncomfortable, for she fidgeted nervously, holding onto the door frame to keep herself upright. She didn't recognize anything, not even the Thompson Sisters. Everything had been dreamlike to her, and nothing around here was familiar. Then her blazing blue oculars fell upon Kidd, looking him right into this golden eyes, feeling a tug. Her eyes lifted to his hair. "The stripes." She breathed, stunned, before beaming at him. "I thought I'd merely dreamed of you. But it was all real, wasn't it? The Kishin, you saving me, you guys fighting it..." Although she spoke to him and the sister's, her gaze was locked upon his stripes. Then she laughed under her breath, shaking her head in amazement, walking forward a little uncoordinatedly. "..I may have been totally out of it, but...I still feel the same way. I like your stripes." For a moment it looked like she was about to reach out and touch them again. But she seemed to think better of it and looked around at the lot of them.

"Well, hello, everyone. Do y'all live around here?" asked the redhead, gaze warm. If there had been any doubt about Kidd's story before, there wasn't anymore. The girl had all but vouched for him just then.

Maka spoke for them all, smiling in a friendly manner. "Yeah, we all do. This is Death Weapon Meister Academy, also known as DWMA." The blonde was only a little smaller than the bandaged girl before her, meeting her gaze eye to eye. "So I hear you're a weapon, ne?"

The lady nodded with a wry smile. "That I am! And my brother Rei is my meister." Then she looked pointedly at Kidd. "He's the partner I asked you to save, if I remember correctly."

A weight was lifted off his chest. One, because she'd spoken of her meister in present tense, which meant the boy had survived the ordeal, and two, because he was her brother. A relative. For whatever reason, knowing that the two only shared family ties made Kidd a very happy meister.

"His name is Rei? Ok." Maka nodded, her soprano voice polite and interested. "And what is _your_ name? I'm Maka!" She grinned and held out her hand to shake.

Looking startled and pleased simultaneously, the redhead took Maka's hand in her's. "It's nice to meet you, Maka. I'm Kumiko." Her name fascinated Kidd, for whatever reason. It was a Japanese name meaning 'long time beautiful child'. It couldn't be more fitting. Kumiko. _Kumiko_. Then, as he tried the name on for size a few more times in his head, Kumiko acquainted herself with the rest of his friends before asking, "Would you guys like to come inside and meet my brother? I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

They exchanged glances; this girl was still a mystery to them, although she was just as cool as they'd all expected. So the lot nodded and Kumiko beckoned for them to follow her. They entered the infirmary; the only other person in there was the tawny haired male, who sat up in his head, naked from the waist up. His only clothing were white bandages from his waist to his ankles. "Rei, meet Maka, Soul, Black Star, Tsubaki, Liz, Patty, and Kidd." She introduced them one at the time, each waving or doing something to call attention to themselves as she had them meet her brother. His ebony eyes were emotionless, simply eying them up, expression not changing. "Brother, Kidd, Liz, and Patty were the ones who saved us that day. They brought us here." Kumiko explained with a smile, sitting next to the boy and taking his large hand in her's. For once his face changed, and he gave her a gentle look, but just for a moment. Then his face was completely blank once more, nodding to them.

There was a moment of awkward silence. Then Kumiko gave Rei a look and punched him lightly in the arm; it obviously wasn't that light, though, because it knocked him over slightly and he needed to right himself ago. "Rei! Say something!"

A few seconds passed. Then his mouth opened stiffly. "..Hi."

Kumiko beamed at him before looking at the others. She loved her brother, and although he was the strong and silent type, she was sure he'd get along well with everybody else here.

Tsubaki spoke then, the dark haired girl smiling kindly at them. "Are you going to begin to attend the Academy, Kumiko?" She asked inquisitively, hoping she wasn't intruding. Kumiko thought about all this before shrugging.

"If the option is offered. If not, then we'll be just as happy to live in the city, I suppose." Tsubaki nodded, those royal blue eyes seeming a little disappointed. She already liked these two, and wouldn't have minded them being around. Besides, Black Star seemed infatuated with her, wondering what sort of person Kumiko was to have gotten Kidd's attention. He'd have his hands full Kumiko, she could tell.

They talked awhile more, laughing and telling jokes and stories, but Dr. Medusa eventually asked them to leave. The six left, still giggling, and Kumiko held the door open for Kidd, who was taking his time. Finally, he looked over at her. "..Kumiko." She blinked, snapping to attention.

"Kidd?" She asked, calmer than she had been all this time. He'd learned that the girl was the eccentric, bubbly type of person. He didn't mind. But now she was serious...he wondered why.

"I...I just wanted to thank you for saving me the other day." He said, meeting her gaze. Unlike most men, he didn't have that overwhelming 'guy pride' most of them carried around. Kidd wasn't afraid to show gratitude, or admit he'd had his ass saved by a girl. Kumiko's eyes widened. But then she grinned, and it was then Kidd's turn to have his eyes become larger.

Kumiko, still grinning, reached out and took his hands in hers. "Oh, Kidd." She said with a laugh, as if this were some sort of joke. "You don't need to thank me for something like that! You saved my life, I saved yours. We're square now. And besides, I have the feeling we're gonna be friends. So no worries, 'k?" This said she gave his hands a squeeze before releasing them, the fire on his skin where they'd been dying out. She then lifted a hand and made the peace sign, pressing it to her forehead. Such a child she was.

He goggled at her. But then he chuckled and nodded, smiling broadly. "Alright."

She gave him a particularly dorky thumbs up, and he laughed. Then, unable to fight the smile off his face, the teen turned and walked after his friends. Kumiko smirked, turned around, and closed the door behind her.

His hands were still burning.


	2. Chapter 2 -- Introduction to a New Life

**( So—here's Chapter Two! Thank you all for reading this thus far. If you find any errors in grammar or spelling that slipped past me, let me know, or if I do/say something that doesn't follow the general storyline, notify me on that, too, if you please. I try to stay in character, but school is a rough place for a teenager whose body doesn't quite understand that night = sleep, and I may mess up due to my sleep-deprived state. So, either way, I appreciate you for checking this out, and hope y'all like the sequel! ^_^ )**

"_Kumiko!_"

The happy male voice made the young lady's head perk up in response, a smile ready on her face, gaze seeking out the head of spiky blue hair that was Black Star. Her and Rei had been in the hospital for three days, and the group they'd met had visited them periodically during those times, especially Black Star, who, despite Kidd's infatuation with her, had grown quite attached to the little woman himself (nobody had warmed up to Rei yet; he creeped most of them out). He'd 'claimed' her as his territory, although that fact went right over Kumiko's head—she was under the impression that she had merely made a new friend.

"Black Star!" Her voice lilted pleasantly as a big smile spread across her face, jumping on the balls of her feet and waving a hand wildly toward the sound of his voice, struggling to see him above the crowd. Not being as vertically blessed as some, she was having difficulties. Nobody new had said anything to Rei or herself yet; they weren't very friendly with the newbies so far; henceforth, Kumiko was grateful for the interjection of a familiar face. "Hiya!"

Finally she picked the bluenette out (with the help of Rei, whose sense of direction was better than her's), darting over to meet him eagerly, beginning to ball her hand into a tight fist. He also broke out into a run, lifting an already clenched hand, smirking like a maniac. They touched knuckles with a satisfying thump, and then looked up at each other with big, shit-eating grins, exchanging thumbs up. It was a surprise they hadn't broken anything, seeing as both teenagers were suppressing pained expressions from the sheer force of their greeting, wanting to look tough.

Watching them with unconcealed amusement, Rei and Tsubaki merged together to stand side by side, eyebrows raised. Well, Tsubaki did, anyway. Rei's expression had yet to change since they'd first met the brunette male. He was the epitome of stoicism. "Hello, Rei!" As she looked over at the quiet man beside her, Tsubaki was surprised to see that Rei had a few inches on her—that was a first. All this time, she'd been the tallest out of their whole group. It seemed she'd been replaced. Not that she minded, of course; that wasn't Tsubaki's way.

Smiling, the dark haired girl walked forward to greet Kumiko, having already said hello to her brooding counterpart. "Good morning, Kumiko! So you've started going to school here too?" Tsubaki asked brightly, those indigo eyes shining. "That's good—I was hoping you'd enroll! It's nice having you around." Her and Kumiko had become fast friends, and she was more than happy to take the girl in under her wing—they all were. Kumiko was a friendly, easy to please sort of person, and everyone she'd met so far was thoroughly enjoying her company. Even Rei had grown on them, although that was mostly due to him putting up with their teasing; the one-expression-at-all-times guy barely said a word unless Kumiko insisted upon it, and it was impossible for the majority of the gang _not _to make fun of him for it. Despite Black Star's mega-crush on the attractive red haired female, Tsubaki only wanted what was best for her meister, and was willing to support him in whatever he did. Although, she had the sneaking suspicion that Kumiko wasn't interested in Black Star that way. But she hadn't the heart to tell the Star Clan Ninja that. He'd be awfully displeased.

With a merry nod, Kumiko replied, "Y'know it! Lord Death came to visit just the other day to run the idea by us. Naturally, he ran a background check and whatnot, and had some questions to ask about. Other than that, he had no qualms whatsoever about offering to let us enroll!" Then, grinning, she added, "And we were more than happy to agree, seeing as we already had friends here. We figured that getting used to the new place would be simple." In this situation, 'we' automatically translated to 'Kumiko'. Rei was silent as death, as always. Both Black Star and Tsubaki looked pleased. However, both wondered what sort of 'questions' Lord Death would have needed to ask about their background. They seemed normal enough, save for their location when they'd first been seen, wandering stranded in the desert. But before one of them could ask, Soul and Maka arrived.

"Hi, Rei!" Maka told the tall boy, coming over to stand beside him, looking particularly pale and scrawny beside his broad, browned figure. He cast a glance over at her silently, acknowledging her existence in a manner that _almost_ seemed condescending. Almost. Although she put on a big smile, on the inside she was squirming uncomfortably beneath his scrutiny. He hated her, she could tell. If he didn't, why would he give her such bland, expressionless faces all the time? Maka didn't know _what_ she'd done to deserve his wrath, but she knew it had to be hatred. There was no other alternative. So she found an excuse to leave his side, instead hopping over to Kumiko, desperately seeking affection from at least _one_ of the two. "Morning, Kumiko!"

Right after her sauntered Soul, grinning as if he knew exactly what his partner was feeling, repressing the urge to chuckle at her easily readable antics. He stuck his hand out to Rei to high five; after a moment of staring at it blankly, the tall male lifted his own hand awkwardly and tapped it to the others before letting it drop to his side again. Soul gave Rei a smile; Rei stared at Soul. Suddenly Soul realized why Maka had been so weirded out by Rei before—that unblinking, emotionless mask the boy wore was unsettling. It really put one on edge. Just like his partner had before him, Soul slunk over to Kumiko, wanting the outgoing girl to smooth out all the wrinkles Rei had so uncoolly put in his day, which had only just begun. "Mornin', Kumiko." He echoed Maka in a much more relaxed fashion. She was the nerd, he was the cool one. That is the way it was, and the way it would stay.

Their reasons for slipping over to her didn't seem to phase Kumiko. In other words, she remained blissfully oblivious, simply glad they were paying her any attention at all. "Good morning to you two as well~" She sang out, happy as ever. It was only then that the four friends realized that Kumiko, unlike Rei, was literally hopping from foot to foot with pent up energy. As to 'why', none of them had the foggiest idea. "I think today's gonna be a good day. Do you feel it, too? _I_ do. Seriously. Today's gonna be a _really_ good day." Kumiko claimed, beaming.

Black Star laughed and clapped the girl boisterously on the back in an almost possessive fashion, and Maka grinned at the ginger. Soul smirked; although Kumiko was certainly a dork and not cool _at all_, she was still pretty fun to be around. Her energy seemed to rub off on all of them—even him, somewhat. Well, perhaps it wasn't her energy that affected him. It was more that overly-optimistic view of life. Unrealistic, but a nice change, since Maka was a realist and he spent every waking second around her. Kumiko was certainly a refreshing addition to their strange group.

It seemed Kumiko had gotten fed up with Rei's brooding silence, because she had turned to face her large older brother and was now clinging to him, shimmying her way onto his shoulders like a small child might. Poking his cheeks and pulling at his lips to force him to smile, the girl pouted. "_Rei_! Your bad attitude is ruining the mood! Y'know, if you don't speak, you'll eventually forget how to talk at all!" She protested, catching the male in a loose headlock. This was all unlikely. But it brought that gentle sparkle to his onyx oculars either way, wincing as she squeezed his head, but not moving to shake her off anyway. Tsubaki admired it quietly, pondering the reasoning behind their relationship. It was like Kumiko was the world, and Rei was a planet revolving around her, moving when she did. He was so protective. As Tsubaki mused about the two,n Rei's low bass voice sounded for the second time in the last four days. "...Good morning everyone." Satisfied, Kumiko hopped off him with a big smile, while the four gave him slightly awkward smiles, not really sure how to respond. They mumbled their good mornings, unsure of where they stood with the guy as of yet.

A face was missing. Looking around, Kumiko asked, "Where's Kidd?" Then, a beat afterward, she piped up, "A-and Liz and Patty? Where are they?" It was fairly evident that Liz and Patty weren't of equal importance in her mind, however. Rei's face never changed, although he was very curious. His little sister wasn't normally like this. It made him wonder...

"He's often late. You'll get used to it, Kumiko. He's not as big as I am, so he doesn't put much time into his studies!" Black Star explained, glowing, puffing out his chest and jerking a thumb at himself.

Maka sighed, giving Black Star a look. "That's not it at all. Technically, he doesn't even _need _to be here at DWMA. But he wanted to do things 'the old fashioned way', per se, and enrolled anyway." Kumiko was a gratifying listener; with her little exclamations of surprise in all the right places, well timed nods, and wide eyes that showed perfect attentiveness, Maka felt like she was awfully important in the eyes of the somewhat taller female. The thought brought a smile to her face, those green orbs gleaming. "..Or he might have stopped on the way here because he realized something in his house had been left unsymmetrical. It _is_ possible. He's done it plenty of times before."

"..." Kumiko's head cocked to the side quizzically, lifting her artfully made brows. "...Unsymmetrical?" She echoed, bewildered as to how that could affect the male to such a degree.

Soul interjected here. "You know. Not perfectly aligned. Same on both sides. Symmetry."

"I _know_ what it _is._" Kumiko told him in exasperation, throwing her hands up expressively in the air. Maka and Tsubaki covered the mouths to hide the curving of their mouths; Kumiko, unlike most teenagers these days, still believed in animating her features, vocal inflection and dynamics, using a variety of hand gestures to give a more 'in depth' meaning to her words, much like the Italians might. Both of the girls found it adorable, whereas the two boys imitated her behind her back until they were on the ground in their hysterics. However, Kumiko saw nothing wrong with it at all, and defended her position for the sake of justice in her histrionics. "I just don't understand how it applies to Kidd! Why would symmetry worry him?"

Oh, Kumiko, how naïve she was. She knew nothing of the world yet. Tsubaki tried to explain in those soft, comforting tones she always used. "Kidd is a little...symmetry-oriented. It makes his world go around, basically. He's very neat and likes this perfect and organized; symmetry is the reason he's alive. In other words, he obsesses over it." She scratched the back of her head then, somewhat embarrassed as Kumiko's blazing gaze bore into her. "A-ah, well, I don't call myself an _expert_ on Kidd...er, an expert on...on..."

"Kiddology." Soul supplied her with a word, grinning.

Tsubaki shot him a grateful and amused glace. "..Right, Kiddology. But that's the gist of it. He's a little...ah..."

Maka added in gently, "OCD?"

The girl nodded, her ebony ponytail bobbing with the movement, before looking over at Kumiko. Apparently Kidd related topics were important to her. Tsubaki wondered if it were because of an admiration for his power. Perhaps she hero-worshiped him for taking part in saving her and Rei's lives? Or maybe...it was something else, something far more emotion based...?

Before Kumiko could interrogate them any longer, Maka looked at the clock before her eyes widened. "O-oh! We'd better get to class! Come on, you guys, we'll be late!" Not wanting to be tardy on her first day, Kumiko nodded and hastily followed the others, keeping close. She knew she'd get lost if she didn't. But she was secretly thinking about Kidd, wondering where the black and white haired male was right then...

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"I am despicable. I should die. My family should die. _You two_ should die. I am a disgrace, a shame too all symmetrical people everywhere. I am what people strive to _not_ be. Dirt, shit, awful, horrid..." His voice trailed off into more mumbles and curses at himself, tearing himself down piece by piece, confidence shattered. The pieces were getting stepped on and cracked more and more as he put himself down.

This had all started with them walking to school. Kidd had gotten almost no sleep that night, his father having announced that Kumiko and Rei would now be attending the school, starting the next day. So he'd spent all this time wondering what he should say to her. The last few days he'd tried to approach her, wimped out, and left to go get Liz, Patty, or one of the others to go with him. He couldn't face her alone, and he didn't understand why. That bugged him. He hated feeling powerless, not when he was the son of a Shinigami, and one of the most powerful meisters attending DWMA. So when he finally had to get ready after a restless night, Kidd had been so tired that he'd mismatched socks. As they walked, Patty had tickled Liz, who had bumped into Kidd, who had promptly fallen on his face. Getting up, he'd noticed the non-matching characteristics of his footwear, and blanched.

So, here they were, completely unable to get Kidd to move.

Annoyed, Liz glowered at the young Death who continued to insult himself to no end. Finally, she snapped. "Kidd, nobody is perfectly symmetrical! Nothing _can_ be. Get over it! Not even you, with your stripes on one side of your head, managed perfect symmetry. It is nothing to be ashamed of! Get. Up!"

Wrong thing to say. Completely.

As Liz went on a tangent about the lack of symmetry in the world, Kidd looked up at her, nose and cheeks red, eyes watery, lips trembling. The life seemed to be sucked out of him. When she finished, Liz winced, realizing she'd probably come off as a bit harsh. There was a moment of deadly silence. Kidd promptly began banging his face into the ground.

With a squeak, Liz collapsed to her knees beside him, struggling to pull the male away so he couldn't injure himself anymore. "Gah! Kidd! I'm sorry! I'm _sorry_. Symmetry is _everywhere_! You're symmetrical, mostly, which is more than most people can say! You are beautiful! Are...are you listening?" Liz was searching desperately for the words to fix all this, noting that he'd escaped her grasp and was banging his face again, a steady stream of blood from his nose streaming down his face. Her hands fluttered helplessly. Thank _God_ for Patty, though!

Her little sister watched, giggling childishly, before crouching down beside him, cheeks pink. Patty's eyes arched happily. "Don't worry, Kidd-chan! _Kumiko_ likes your stripes!"

The head-banging ceased. Slowly Kidd raised his cranium, the blood mysteriously gone, his golden hues twinkling. _"I like your stripes."_ Her voice resonated in his head, calming him down for a moment. His self-loathing decreased, and the tension ebbed out of his body. Kidd smiled slightly, allowing himself to relax. "..I can't imagine why. But you're right." ...Huh. When had Kumiko gotten so much power over him? Had it been the moment he'd seen her while attacking the Kishin humanoid? Perhaps when she'd saved his life? Or maybe when she'd complimented his stripes, _twice_.

Whatever the reason, it made no sense to Kidd. Which was unacceptable. Henceforth, he needed to be around her more often to seek out the answer and then deal with it however he saw fit!

Standing up, he brushed himself off, the sock incident miraculously forgotten by the mostly dark haired male, who now was just dripping with excitement and determination. Kumiko and Rei were his number one priorities now, sooner he got to school to visit them, the better!

Seeing Kidd's new found enthusiasm, Liz and Patty exchanged glances (mostly Liz, since Patty's thoughts were, as usual, elsewhere). Liz had to admit, she liked this new side of Kidd. She knew him well, but had never seen him this tongue tied about _anyone_, or seen him be influenced so positively. Although she had yet to decide how she felt about Kumiko taking her place as the 'pretty one', even Liz had to admit that not everything involving the attention whore was bad. She seemed to be good for Kidd thus far, anyway. But for whatever reason, the weapon had the slightest of inklings that there was something...untrustworthy about the girl. That could just be her hormonal female jealousy talking, of course. Even so, she'd felt these 'inklings' since she'd first spoken officially to Kumiko, although she hadn't voiced these opinions; in fact, she hadn't even admitted them to herself until just then! But something was off about her. Not Rei—although Liz found the hunk rather annoying with his I'm-too-good-to-speak-to-any-of-you attitude, he was normal. Kumiko, though...her soul was strange. Liz wasn't the _best_ of soul readers, like Maka was, or even Professor Stein, but she could sense that Kumiko's soul was different, and possibly not in a good way. Was Kumiko just playing with everyone? Or was she truly somebody to be trusted?

Liz frowned then. Deep thoughts were _not_ her forte, and frankly, she felt ridiculous for getting so far into this. Maybe she'd talk to Tsubaki about it—the girl wouldn't judge her based on these feelings, and wouldn't tell anyone, either. Feeling like a weight had been taken off her chest, the blonde nodded, smiling inwardly. Yes—Tsubaki would be perfect. Relieved, Liz nodded to Kidd and turned to walk onward, hearing the footsteps of her two comrades behind her.

For now she wouldn't say anything. Patty, Kidd, and the others seemed to find nothing wrong with the redhead. But if she made any abnormal things happen...Liz would just have to get involved, even though personal confrontations like such weren't really something she enjoyed.

_Oh, the things I am willing to do for my friends...I'm such an idiot._

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"So, to start off this dissection, we must pick up the scalpel and make a thin incision here..." Professor Franken Stein said, those honey gold eyes large and excited as he looked down at the new rare species he'd kidnapped and now had strapped to the table in front of him, his silvery-white locks tumbling into his face. His skin was a rather sickly shade, although this was his natural tone, and had the occasional thin line of stitching streaking across his complexion. He also had a screw in his head, which he would fool around with at times, as if it were perfectly normal.

Watching him with a look of profound shock, a very pale Kumiko sat in her chair, a muscle on her forehead twitching. Every once in awhile, Rei noticed dryly, a quiver would go up her spine in distaste. Along with many other things, Kumiko was a lover animals, and as she watched the process of how to effectively murder and take apart one was taught to her, he could tell she was finding it harder and harder to stay in her seat and not puke over the table. Rei felt a rush of sympathy for his little sister. She was far too softhearted. Sometimes he wondered how she had turned out the way she had. After all, his life had been much more comfortable than hers had been, and he rarely spoke or reacted, maintaining his composure. That stoic front of his was never broken. How she became this person astounded him, although he'd never admit that; mostly because of his imaginary vow of silence, though.

Worried, he reached out a hand and touched her arm; starting, she jerked away immediately. But when she realized who it was, Kumiko relaxed, arching her eyes pleasantly at him. He softened, just like he did any time she did _anything_. Voice lowered, he whispered, "You can excuse yourself from the class, you know. Take a bathroom break. Say you're feeling ill. I'll cover for you." The unspoken words, 'if you don't return' hung in the air, and she realized that with a jolt. For a moment his weapon partner seemed amazed, the idea never having crossed her mind. But she didn't deny the idea appealed to her. The last thing she wanted was to refresh her memory on what breakfast had tasted like on her first day.

Kumiko nodded wearily, raising her hand. Stein looked up questioningly, and she excused herself, barely able to steady her voice. "Professor? May I go to the bathroom?" She asked, sounding like she'd aged a hundred years.

Franken Stein gazed up at the girl, thoughtful, recalling the conversation he'd had with Death concerning her. For a moment he frowned. She was to be watched at all times. However, how bad could going to that bathroom be? His expression vanished as he recovered, remembering where he was, putting on a false smile—everyone fell for it. He dismissed her, and the girl stood up, shakily exiting the room with an arm holding her stomach.

_I'm sure she'd be fun to dissect one day_. Stein thought to himself with a sly smile. He could tell she already wasn't liking his class. Too bad for her. Soon enough today, she'd realize that she'd be seeing _quite_ a lot of him out of school. More than she could have ever imagined.

He grinned and turned back to his experiment, continuing the session as if nothing had occurred.

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Out of the classroom Kumiko wandered aimlessly, prowling the hallways, sighing in despair for what felt like the thousandth time. She'd taken a variety of different routes, but always ended up by Stein's classroom again. Where was the health room? Or the exit of the school? A bathroom? Kumiko was _so_ lost. "This is embarrassing..." the girl grumbled, cheeks darkening for a moment, hoping nobody could see her.

"Kumiko!"

So, naturally, of course somebody could.

Turning, her heart leaped to her throat when she spotted the trio she'd been searching for this morning. Kumiko forced herself not to stare at Kidd, the one person she'd been quite unable to get out of her thoughts for awhile now. Staring was uncharacteristic for her, seeing as she was easily distracted, and generally didn't stay on a single topic for very long. She struggled to smile. "Hi, Liz; Patty...Kidd." She purposely used his name last, not wanting him to know her secret. That was the last thing she needed.

Kidd didn't notice. He was a boy; it made sense he wouldn't pay attention to smaller details, since most boys didn't. What he _did_ notice, however, was that the symmetrical goddess before him was looking green. A touch of concern entered his voice when he said, "You don't look well."

Both girls rolled their eyes; he didn't phrase that well. Seeing the offended look cross Kumiko's face, Liz fought down a snicker. But then she felt worried as well as the look melted off, replaced by the same woozy expression that had originally been there. Kumiko obviously wasn't feeling well.

"..Thank you?" What to say to _that,_ Kumiko had no idea. So, since she didn't know how to properly respond, she just left it there. Why not? No room for mistakes if she didn't do anything!

Death the Kidd stared at her a moment longer. Then, hesitantly, he asked, "Are you...do you need to go to the health room?"

"..No."

No? Why had she said that? Yes, she _did_ need to! But suddenly she felt defensive of her weak stomach, and wanted to impress him. Kumiko didn't quite understand how this would impress him, but her pride claimed it would. So she decided to trust her pride.

Confused, Kidd blinked. But then he nodded. "Er...alright. We should go to class then.."

"..No." She said sharply, lifting her gaze stubbornly. "...Thank you." Kumiko muttered, stomach flipping, a wave of vertigo washing over her. Suddenly she felt a pressure building up within her as her queasiness overcame that infamous willpower she had. As she forced herself to control it, she winced, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment as if to physically block out her stomachs deepest desires. Again Kidd looked perplexed, but she wouldn't look at him, mortified. This was all going wrong! Kumiko saw a movement out of the corner of her eye; bemused, she lifted her gaze to see him holding out a hand. Those phosphorescent blue eyes widened.

"I'll walk you to the health room." He stated; it wasn't an offer, but more of an order.

She couldn't have been happier than in that moment. Meekly, she whispered, "Ok." Kumiko reached out and placed her small hand into his bigger one. Feeling the fire, she almost recoiled; she'd never been burned before. This reaction to Kidd was puzzling her, and she didn't like that. Kidd hid it better than she did, his expression neutral. Turning in unison with his weapon partners, he led her down one of the hallways she'd already taken, letting her trail behind him sheepishly, perfectly content just to be silent and hold his hand, the slightest of smiles tracing her face, unable to help it.


End file.
